ANNIKA Award Watch List: April 18, 2014

As the spring season progresses, Golfweek is monitoring the race for the inaugural ANNIKA Award presented by 3M. The award is presented to the best female college player, as voted on by players, coaches and select media. An update will be posted each Friday on Golfweek.com. If you’d like to register to be a voter, please click here.

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It’s officially postseason this week as teams compete in their respective conference championships. With a month left in the college golf season, here are 10 notable players in college golf:

FAVORITES

Alison Lee, UCLA

Golfweek/Sagarin College Ranking: 1

Golfstat head-to-head ranking: 1

Scoring average: 70.7

Best finish this season: Won (Betsy Rawls Invitational, Stanford Intercollegiate)

Lately: Lee has not made a start with the team since the San Diego State Farms Invitational in late March. Lee was in contention early, but said a few short-game hiccups down the stretch contributed to a fourth-place finish. A Pac-12 individual title would be a great addition to her freshman season.

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Annie Park, USC

Golfweek/Sagarin College Ranking: 2

Golfstat head-to-head ranking: 9

Scoring average: 70.92

Best finish this season: Won (Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge)

Lately: Earned another top 10 at the Silverado Showdown on April 15. Entering the postseason, it’s worth a reminder than Park swept this chunk of the schedule a year ago, beginning with a two-shot victory over teammate Sophia Popov at the Pac-12 Championship.

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Yu Liu, Duke

Golfweek/Sagarin College Ranking: 3

Golfstat head-to-head ranking: 2

Scoring average: 71.62

Best finish this season: Won (Darius Rucker Intercollegiate)

Lately: Freshman Liu plays in her first ACC Championship with the Blue Devils this weekend. As the season has progressed, Liu has developed into a strong player, especially in her mental game. That will bode well for her in the home-stretch of the season.

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Kyung Kim, USC

Golfweek/Sagarin College Ranking: 7

Golfstat head-to-head ranking: 6

Scoring average: 71.36

Best finish this season: Won (Fall Preview, Bruin/Wave Invitational)

Lately: Two weeks ago, Kim won two big matches for USC at the Liz Murphey Invitational (a match-play event). She sat out of the Silverado Showdown, but could be a big contributor for USC in the postseason. Kim has matured greatly as a player in the past year, and has the game to win any one at any step in the postseason.

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IN POSITION

Noemi Jimenez, Arizona State

Lately: The Spaniard has the ideal attitude for competitive golf, and is skilled at analyzing her weaknesses and making them strengths. Jimenez is overdue for a victory this seaon after so many close calls, and that’s an excellent motivator.

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Stephanie Meadow, Alabama

Lately: Meadow is the defending champion at this weekend’s SEC Championship. Over the past four years, she has been one of the most stable yet competitive players in women’s golf. The end of her college career deserves some fireworks, and that could come from a postseason title or two

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Mariah Stackhouse, Stanford

Lately: Stackhouse had an off-week at the Ping/ASU Invitational, but it was uncharacteristic of her game. Stackhouse has had a wealth of experiences on the golf course in the past year, both in college settings and beyond. That has helped her become a discplined decision-maker with club in hand.

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TO WATCH

Celine Boutier, Duke

Golfweek/Sagarin College Ranking: 10

Golfstat head-to-head ranking: 4

Scoring average: 72

Best finish this season: Won (Bryan National Collegiate, Ping/ASU Invitational)

Lately: Boutier may be on the biggest upward trend of any women’s college golfer. She entered the ACC Championship after winning two consecutive tournament titles. Boutier earned those victories in two very different, albeit strong, fields which suggests she can keep pace with any player in the country. With Boutier and Liu, Duke is also trending upward for the postseason.

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Gaby Lopez, Arkansas

Lately: Lopez won two matches for Arkansas at the Liz Murphey match-play event, but lost a tough one to Kyung Kim on a down day. She has consistently gone low for the Razorbacks this year, which has been crucial to their successful season.

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SooBin Kim, Washington

Golfweek/Sagarin College Ranking: 26

Golfstat head-to-head ranking: 28

Scoring average: 72

Best finish this season: Won (Silverado Showdown)

Lately: Kim won the individual title at the Silverado Showdown on April 15 and led her Huskies to the team title. After a few off-weeks in the middle of the season, Kim is back on the right track. The Pac-12 Championship will be a good test for Kim and her team.